Health benefits of dance: listening answers and explanations
A lecture on how dancing improves health. The speaker reviews recent studies on mood, creativity and mental health, then looks at the physical, mental and social benefits for older people, and ends with research on the dance workout Zumba.
One ten-gap note block in order. Gaps 31-32 are in the recent findings, 33-37 in the long section on older people (signposted 'what about older people?'), and 38-40 in the Zumba section that starts 'I also looked at the benefits of Zumba'.
Answer key and self-check
Type what you wrote and hit mark. Hide the key first if you haven't done the part yet. Every question number jumps to its explanation.
How to attack this block: Every answer is a noun, and most are abstract (creativity, therapy, fitness, motivation, isolation). The notes often change the grammar around the word, so expect 'be more active' to become 'more ... to take exercise'. One word only: don't add adjectives like 'mental' or 'physical'.
Question 31
Answer: creativityAt the end of the York and Sheffield experiment
What did dancing increase in the university experiment?
The result showed that those who chose to dance showed much more creativity when doing problem-solving tasks.
Question says → You hear
dance increasesthose who chose to dance showed much more creativity
Why: 'Much more creativity' means dance increased creativity. The noun form is needed after 'increases'.
The trap: Problem-solving is right next to it, but it's the type of task, not what increased. Writing the adjective creative breaks the grammar.
Question 32
Answer: therapyWhen the speaker introduces Doctor Lovatt
What could dance be used as for people with mental illness?
He thinks dance should be prescribed as therapy to help people overcome issues such as depression.
Question says → You hear
those with mental illnesspeople suffering from mental health problems
a form ofprescribed as therapy
Why: 'Prescribed as therapy' becomes 'used as a form of therapy'.
The trap: Depression is the example of an illness, not the form dance takes. 'A form of depression' turns the meaning upside down.
Question 33
Answer: fitnessWhen the speaker says there are 'no barriers to participation'
What can people have low levels of and still dance?
Anyone can have a go, even those whose standard of fitness is quite low.
Question says → You hear
accessible for people with low levels ofeven those whose standard of fitness is quite low
Why: 'Standard of fitness is quite low' becomes 'low levels of fitness'. 'No barriers to participation' is the 'accessible' part.
The trap: Exercise comes up just before in 'encouraging adolescent girls to take exercise', but that's a different point about young people.
Question 34
Answer: balanceAfter the 2015 study on heart health
What gets better and so reduces accidents?
dancing lowers the risk of falls, which could result in a broken hip, for example, by helping people to improve their balance
Question says → You hear
reduces the risk of accidentslowers the risk of falls
betterimprove their balance
Why: Improving balance lowers the risk of falls, and falls are the accidents. So 'better balance'.
The trap: Heart comes just before, but heart disease is the previous note. Hip is part of the accident, not what improves.
Question 35
Answer: brainWhen the speaker mentions 'less obvious benefits'
Which organ works faster because of dance?
For older people, this kind of activity is especially important because it forces their brain to process things more quickly and to retain more information.
Question says → You hear
by making it work fasterforces their brain to process things more quickly
Why: 'Process things more quickly' matches 'work faster', and the thing doing it is the brain. The note makes it 'brain function'.
The trap: Concentration and memory (remembering steps) come just before, but neither fits '... function' as well as what is actually said, brain.
Question 36
Answer: motivationWhen the speaker talks about well-being lasting up to a week
What does dance give people more of to be active?
Participants report feeling less tired and having greater motivation to be more active
Question says → You hear
more ... to take exercisegreater motivation to be more active
Why: 'Greater motivation to be more active' becomes 'more motivation to take exercise'.
The trap: Energy fits the meaning of 'feeling less tired', but it isn't said. Well-being is already printed in the note above.
Question 37
Answer: isolationWhen the speaker discusses ballroom and country dancing
What feeling, common among older people, can dancing reduce?
This helps to develop new relationships and can reduce older people's sense of isolation, which is a huge problem in many countries.
Question says → You hear
lessen the feeling ofreduce older people's sense of isolation
very commona huge problem in many countries
Why: 'Reduce ... sense of isolation' is a straight paraphrase of 'lessen the feeling of'.
The trap: Interaction and relationships are positives that dance brings, so they can't be the feeling it lessens.
Question 38
Answer: caloriesWhen the speaker describes Professor Porcari's study
What does a 40-minute Zumba class use up as much of as intense exercise?
a class lasting 40 minutes burns about 370 calories. This is similar to moderately intense exercises like step aerobics or kickboxing.
Question says → You hear
uses up as manyburns about 370
other quite intense forms of exercisemoderately intense exercises
Why: 'Burns' becomes 'uses up' and the unit is calories. The note doesn't need the number, only the noun.
The trap: Writing 370 is the classic slip: the note says 'as many ... as', so it wants the unit. Calories needs the plural.
Question 39
Answer: obesityWhen the speaker mentions the American Journal of Health Behavior
What condition did the women in the journal study have?
when women with obesity did Zumba three times a week for 16 weeks
Question says → You hear
women suffering fromwomen with obesity
Why: 'Women with obesity' becomes 'women suffering from obesity'.
The trap: Body fat is mentioned straight after, as one of the results. The condition the women had was obesity.
Question 40
Answer: habitWhen the speaker says 'More importantly'
What did Zumba become for the women?
the women enjoyed the class so much that they made it a habit and continued to attend classes at least once a week
Question says → You hear
became a ... for the participantsthey made it a habit
Why: 'Made it a habit' becomes 'Zumba became a habit'. 'More importantly' is the signpost that the key point is coming.
The trap: Class is said twice in the sentence but 'became a class' makes no sense. Programme is in the last clause, but describes aerobics in general.
The note says '... function', so many people write mental or memory. The lecturer says dance 'forces their brain to process things more quickly', and the noun the note needs is brain.
'They made it a habit' is easy to miss because the lecturer moves straight on to 'continued to attend classes'. The note needs the noun after 'a', habit.
Words from this recording worth keeping
universal(Introduction)
found everywhere and in everyone
cognitive tasks(Recent findings)
mental activities like thinking and problem-solving
prescribed(Recent findings)
officially recommended by a doctor as treatment
barriers to participation(Benefits for older people)
things that stop people from taking part
retain(Benefits for older people)
keep or remember
well-being(Benefits for older people)
the state of feeling healthy and happy
collaboration(Benefits for older people)
working together with others
moderately intense(Benefits of Zumba)
fairly hard but not extreme
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